Taunton Police Officer Joshua D. Acerra was recently arrested in a Middleboro prostitution investigation.
MIDDLEBORO —
A rookie cop who in 2009 created a firestorm of controversy — resulting in the early retirement of then Taunton Police Chief Raymond Oberg — has been implicated in a Middleboro case involving a heroin-overdose death and allegations of pimping out his girlfriend.
Joshua D. Acerra, 30, whose last known address is 40R Shores St., was arrested last Friday night by Middleboro police inside the Days Inn hotel, 30 East Clark St.
He was charged with deriving support from prostitution, conspiracy to commit a crime and possession of Class A controlled substance. Cops said they confiscated three baggies of heroin with a street value of less than $200.
Acerra was unable to post $1,040 bail that night, despite making several phone calls, cops said. He was arraigned Monday in Wareham District Court and held in lieu of $1,000 bail.
Court records also indicate Acerra was held without bail for up to 60 days, after previous bail was revoked in connection to three open cases out of Taunton District Court. Charges there include felony breaking and entering, assault and battery, malicious destruction of property over $250 and larceny.
Police said they also arrested Acerra’s 24-year-old Taunton girlfriend, Tarah Ellis, of 74 Blueberry Lane, for prostitution and conspiracy. She was released Monday on $250 bail and will be arraigned in Wareham on May 15, the same day Acerra is scheduled for a pretrial hearing.
Both Acerra and Ellis allegedly told cops they were addicted to heroin.
Police said they suspect Acerra was pimping out his girlfriend, who they say was turning trick, or soliciting sex for a fee, in the Middleboro area via ads on a website called Backpage.com.
Ellis, according to police, indicated that she resorted to prostitution “around six months ago” due to her drug addiction.
Middleboro Detective Sgt. Joe Perkins said the arrests stemmed from a four-day investigation that started on April 22, after police received a 3:15 a.m. 911 call of a medical emergency in a room at the Holiday Inn Express at 43 Harding St.
When they arrived, police said they found a man who appeared to have died of a heroin overdose. They also found Acerra and Ellis, who allegedly indicated that they had called 911 after sharing heroin with the deceased.
Neither were arrested at the time, Perkins said, because of the state’s so-called Good Samaritan Law — a statute that precludes cops from arresting anyone, notwithstanding the presence of narcotics, who calls 911 to report a possible drug overdose.
Joshua D. Acerra, 30, whose last known address is 40R Shores St., was arrested last Friday night by Middleboro police inside the Days Inn hotel, 30 East Clark St.
He was charged with deriving support from prostitution, conspiracy to commit a crime and possession of Class A controlled substance. Cops said they confiscated three baggies of heroin with a street value of less than $200.
Acerra was unable to post $1,040 bail that night, despite making several phone calls, cops said. He was arraigned Monday in Wareham District Court and held in lieu of $1,000 bail.
Court records also indicate Acerra was held without bail for up to 60 days, after previous bail was revoked in connection to three open cases out of Taunton District Court. Charges there include felony breaking and entering, assault and battery, malicious destruction of property over $250 and larceny.
Police said they also arrested Acerra’s 24-year-old Taunton girlfriend, Tarah Ellis, of 74 Blueberry Lane, for prostitution and conspiracy. She was released Monday on $250 bail and will be arraigned in Wareham on May 15, the same day Acerra is scheduled for a pretrial hearing.
Both Acerra and Ellis allegedly told cops they were addicted to heroin.
Police said they suspect Acerra was pimping out his girlfriend, who they say was turning trick, or soliciting sex for a fee, in the Middleboro area via ads on a website called Backpage.com.
Ellis, according to police, indicated that she resorted to prostitution “around six months ago” due to her drug addiction.
Middleboro Detective Sgt. Joe Perkins said the arrests stemmed from a four-day investigation that started on April 22, after police received a 3:15 a.m. 911 call of a medical emergency in a room at the Holiday Inn Express at 43 Harding St.
When they arrived, police said they found a man who appeared to have died of a heroin overdose. They also found Acerra and Ellis, who allegedly indicated that they had called 911 after sharing heroin with the deceased.
Neither were arrested at the time, Perkins said, because of the state’s so-called Good Samaritan Law — a statute that precludes cops from arresting anyone, notwithstanding the presence of narcotics, who calls 911 to report a possible drug overdose.
Police subsequently determined that a meeting had been arranged between Ellis and the overdose victim, who Perkins described as an Idaho man temporarily living at the hotel while doing contract work for a phone company.
Plymouth County Assistant District Attorney Russell Eonas said there is no criminal investigation into the death of the unidentified man.
Perkins said an investigation by Detective Kristopher Dees into escort services listed on Backpage.com turned up a woman calling herself Jenna, whose appearance in her ad matched that of Ellis.
Police said they suspected Ellis and Acerra were operating their own prostitution ring under the guise of an otherwise legitimate escort service. A Lakeville detective, who collaborated with Middleboro and state police, called Jenna on Friday and arranged a meeting at the Days Inn.
The detective wore an audio transmitter. Despite the transmitter not working to full capacity, the officer managed to arrest Ellis without incident.
As officers stood in the hotel room, they noticed a woman with a man they identified as Acerra walking in the hallway. The police report notes that they made sure to pat down Acerra, with the foreknowledge that he had once been a Taunton cop.
Acerra allegedly had an Apple iPhone4 that rang when police dialed the number for “Jenna.” Police said he initially said it was his phone, then said it belonged to his wife.
In March 2009, the Taunton City Council fired Acerra after five weeks of testimony as part of a disciplinary hearing, after police determined he provided false information on employment and firearms applications. At the time he was fired, Acerra had been a cop for less than a year and was on paid administrative leave.
Instead of quietly resigning, Acerra provided blockbuster testimony implicating his former boss. He claimed Oberg tried to force him to resign as retribution for his having told two “professional standards” officers that Oberg had divulged sensitive information to City Clerk Rose Marie Blackwell.
That information allegedly involved a warning to Acerra to steer clear of a supposed marijuana drug house in East Taunton. As a result, Oberg was placed on paid leave and eventually took early retirement, while Blackwell was suspended with pay for a short time.
Since then, Acerra has been arrested a number of times for various misdemeanors and felonies but has yet to serve any jail time.
Email Charles Winokoor at cwinokoor@tauntongazette.com.
Plymouth County Assistant District Attorney Russell Eonas said there is no criminal investigation into the death of the unidentified man.
Perkins said an investigation by Detective Kristopher Dees into escort services listed on Backpage.com turned up a woman calling herself Jenna, whose appearance in her ad matched that of Ellis.
Police said they suspected Ellis and Acerra were operating their own prostitution ring under the guise of an otherwise legitimate escort service. A Lakeville detective, who collaborated with Middleboro and state police, called Jenna on Friday and arranged a meeting at the Days Inn.
The detective wore an audio transmitter. Despite the transmitter not working to full capacity, the officer managed to arrest Ellis without incident.
As officers stood in the hotel room, they noticed a woman with a man they identified as Acerra walking in the hallway. The police report notes that they made sure to pat down Acerra, with the foreknowledge that he had once been a Taunton cop.
Acerra allegedly had an Apple iPhone4 that rang when police dialed the number for “Jenna.” Police said he initially said it was his phone, then said it belonged to his wife.
In March 2009, the Taunton City Council fired Acerra after five weeks of testimony as part of a disciplinary hearing, after police determined he provided false information on employment and firearms applications. At the time he was fired, Acerra had been a cop for less than a year and was on paid administrative leave.
Instead of quietly resigning, Acerra provided blockbuster testimony implicating his former boss. He claimed Oberg tried to force him to resign as retribution for his having told two “professional standards” officers that Oberg had divulged sensitive information to City Clerk Rose Marie Blackwell.
That information allegedly involved a warning to Acerra to steer clear of a supposed marijuana drug house in East Taunton. As a result, Oberg was placed on paid leave and eventually took early retirement, while Blackwell was suspended with pay for a short time.
Since then, Acerra has been arrested a number of times for various misdemeanors and felonies but has yet to serve any jail time.
Email Charles Winokoor at cwinokoor@tauntongazette.com.
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